While the worst snowstorm to hit Ireland in decades left much of the country in chaos, the clash of the Siberian weather front with Storm Emma can be credited with giving flowerbeds around the country an early seasonal debut, according to Matthew Jebb, director of the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin.

The record-breaking snow and sub-zero temperatures gave spring-flowering bulbs like daffodils and hyacinths a welcome jolt of cold to encourage them to flower early, he said.